Street Art

Work from graffiti artist Vyal at the Container Yard in the Arts District.Photo by Walt Mancini

Story By Marina Pena

Published July 28, 2016

Monterey Park’s website describes graffiti as an “unauthorized inscription” that is “unwanted” and “diminishes the quality of our neighborhoods and the community.” Alhambra’s city website says graffiti is an illicit activity that “increases residents’ fears about their safety, reduce property values, and cost the city thousands of dollars per year in removal and clean-up.”

Rojelio Cabral calls his graffiti art. He was inspired by gang writing on city buses and has painted on freeways throughout Southern California. He also graduated from the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Others have turned their art into a career with shows across the world.

Artists like Cabral have created a complex image of graffiti artists whose public identity can range from vandals associated with gangs to hip-hop inspired artists speaking out about discrimination and issues facing people of color.

From New York subways to art galleries and public murals to Los Angeles freeway columns, a graffiti artists’ work is shaped by those perceptions, experiences and the world around them. And nothing may be more impactful than where the artist is from.

For decades, some of these urban artists have been traveling from the San Gabriel Valley to L.A. to showcase their stories. They cite the region’s lack of support for graffiti art and the expansive public spaces they’re afforded in L.A. as reasons for their move.

We reached out to a few of the urban artists and asked them about their work in the graffiti art scene.

Upon request, some of the artists’ names were left out to not compromise their identity. In the place of their legal names are the pseudonyms they use for their graffiti art work.

The views expressed below are those of the artists and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the author or this news organization.

Japanese Heritage Meets LA Roots

Artist: DEFER

A native of Monterey Park and pioneer of the LA graffiti art scene, Defer began painting in the mid-80s after being inspired by the hip hop documentary “Style Wars”. He defines his work as “Spiritual language” for its use of repetitive strokes that together form structured, abstract pieces. His art blends his Japanese heritage and urban LA roots. He is a founding member of the graffiti art crew, Kill 2 Succeed (K2S).

What does your art mean to you?

When I started my art was very structured. We followed a template from New York and combined it with the neighborhood writing of L.A. Eventually, my art evolved into a spiritual language, which is basically a volley of random strokes. Instead of having a plan, I’m trying not to have a plan and create an optical illusion.

What challenges did you face as a graffiti artist?

With the Internet and the dissemination of information, there’s a whole global community of fellow writers. You can get paid to do graffiti now, which wasn’t the case back when I started. We didn’t have those opportunities.

Why did you come from the San Gabriel Valley to L.A. to do graffiti art?

Graffiti became a social activity when I was growing up in the San Gabriel Valley in the 80s. Crews started going to Los Angeles because there wasn’t really an art scene in the San Gabriel Valley.

What does the future hold?

I’m just going to keep trying to evolve and get better everyday. Art has to do with being in tune and active in the present moment and allowing the future to create itself.

The Man Behind the Letter A

Artist: Rojelio “Angst” Cabral

A pioneer in his own right, Alhambra native Rojelio “Angst” Cabral entered the graffiti art scene in the early 80s after being captivated by the mystique of “gang writing” on buses; drawings used to mark gang affiliation or territory. He is recognized in the graffiti community for drawing a bubble letter A on the columns of freeways all over Southern California. His work combines West Coast gang writing with New York Hip Hop graffiti. Angst graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena with a degree in Fine Arts.

What does your art mean to you?

Instead of doing a portrait, two eyes, a nose and a mouth, which traditionally that’s always been a portrait, every letter A is a portrait of me. Where it fits in the city, the colors, how its contorted, the writing around it, when it’s done, all of that is a representation of how I fit into the city, how the under class fits into the city. We are a part of the city and even though we may invisible in movies, here we are. This is what we look like and this is how we feel. I try to create art with that feeling of identity.

What challenges did you face as a graffiti artist?

Up until the early 2000s, all this work was called graffiti. It wasn’t until middle class, white artists started doing graffiti that it started being called street art. They were creating a path for it to be legitimized because of who they were. Up until then it had been mostly under class, colored folks, that difference alone tells you some of the stereotypes or obstacles I faced.

Why did you come from the San Gabriel Valley to LA to do graffiti art?

The pragmatic answer is that Los Angeles just had a larger canvas and audience. If you say Alhambra in Buenos Aires, nobody knows where that is. If you say Los Angeles, they know exactly where that is.

What does the future hold?

I will continue to draw an “A” a day and, when I convince myself, I will make an Instagram account and post one of those a day. I’m also writing a book about my life as a graffiti artist and growing up in the San Gabriel Valley.

The Mentor with the Suggestive Eyes

Artist: Vyal Reyes

Monterey Park native, Vyal Reyes picked up graffiti art in the 80s after seeing his classmates “drawing colorful letters on their notebooks.” His work consists of murals filled with intensely hued eyes that express a range of emotions with their different shapes and sizes, everything from despair to anger. Vyal has held workshops for students at Self Help Graphics & Art, a community arts center in East LA. He is currently an art curator at the Container Yard, an art center located in Downtown LA.

What does your art mean to you?

It’s like a dream you’re controlling and have results. Later you pull away from it and are back to reality, you get pulled over by a cop. At first, I was just trying to do something that people would look at and be like “Oh that’s cool.” But then I realized I wanted to affect people just like the Chicano murals of East LA affected me. I wanted to inspire people to love their community.

What challenges did you face as a graffiti artist?

The places in Venice and Belmont, where I learned to paint, were called yards and they were not safe. You couldn’t inform the cops about anything, you just had to paint and hurry up. If you saw some cholos, say what’s up to them. If they want some paint, give them some paint. Hopefully they don’t ask for money, hopefully they don’t take your bus pass because then you’re stuck.

Why did you come from the San Gabriel Valley to LA to do graffiti art?

Well, for one there’s a lot of zoning and anti-graffiti laws in the San Gabriel Valley. There’s problems to create murals. I wouldn’t consider it a progressive (area), so you have to come to LA to do your work.

What does the future hold?

I have a show coming up in Amsterdam in September. We, as artists, have been accepted internationally, so we go beyond the city borders and and get accepted and validated by galleries around the world.

Graffiti Art with a Purpose

Artist: Alex “Man One” Poli

Before picking up his first spray can in the late 80s, Alhambra native Alex “Man One” Poli was already drawing graffiti letters with his friend’s marker. His body of work is filled with multi-colored portraits of people from LA and murals showing the city’s socio economic issues. In 2002, he opened Crewest Gallery in Alhambra to showcase the work of urban artists from the area. Man One graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts.

What does your art mean to you?

When I first started [doing graffiti] it was my voice to get out into the public and be recognized. I was just doing it for fame. Once I received my degree, my perspective changed. No longer did I want to do it for the fame. There were things I wanted to say with my art that could impact communities and social issues.

What challenges did you face as a graffiti artist?

Some people like to think that graffiti kids are just a bunch of Latino kids or Black kids that are just thugs. I’ve constantly had to fight stereotypes. I’ve had so many issues where I could be painting somewhere, but because I’m painting with a spray can, I have cops pull guns on me because they think I have a gun or I’m a gang member. They don’t realize that I do this for a living. That I’m getting paid.

Why did you come from the San Gabriel Valley to LA to do graffiti art?

In 2002, I decided to start my own gallery, Crewest Gallery in Alhambra. We were the first graffiti gallery in LA County. We specialized in showing the work of urban artists and immediately different people from the city were trying to shut us down. Eventually we outgrew the space and thought we would be better situated in Downtown LA where there was an art scene.

As for my own work, I wanted to explore Hollywood and Los Angeles and get known by the city at-large, not a small pocket like Alhambra.

What does the future hold?

In 2014, we started Crewest Studio, a small agency that helps brands prepare their marketing campaigns and connect to artists. I see ourselves helping many graffiti artists impact the entertainment and marketing industries. I want to show that graffiti artists are a unique type of artist because we’re not just interested in beauty and painting, but also how it works in society.

Graffiti artist Sart. Photo by Walt Mancini

Vyal's Protégé

Artist: SART

Sart is a young graffiti artist from Boyle Heights who entered the scene after being introduced to Vyal at an art workshop. His graffiti art consists of colorful murals and individual paintings of “urban nature”. He works alongside Vyal at the Container Yard creating his own art and collaborating with other artists.

What does your art mean to you?

My art saved me from the gang culture that surrounded me growing up. It helped me see that there were other options, a different lifestyle I could lead.

What challenges did you face as a graffiti artist?

Besides the gang culture, I struggled making my art an everyday ritual. Seeing the work Vyal was doing everyday inspired me to be more disciplined with my work. I now paint every single day and put in the work.

How has Vyal helped you as a graffiti artist?

He is my mentor. I’ve watched him host workshops and I’ve traveled to different states to paint alongside him. He’s helping me master my craft.